


Birth of a Jester So Pale

by Spectraheart



Series: Hollow Knight Collections [1]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, I cry and run for the hills, Inspired By Tumblr, One Shot, good god just take this and run, inspired by PalejesterAU, no beta we die like men, palejesterau
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27727696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spectraheart/pseuds/Spectraheart
Summary: His kingdom was destroyed, his loving Root long gone and the echoes of his deeds haunts his every breath.“I offer you mercy, Pale King. It is your choice to make, will you accept, will you give your name to me?”
Relationships: Grimm & The Pale King (Hollow Knight)
Series: Hollow Knight Collections [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2028242
Comments: 10
Kudos: 88





	Birth of a Jester So Pale

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChipperSmol](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChipperSmol/gifts).



It begins with a breath, a release. 

He stares ahead, merely letting the darkness wash over him, imploring it swallow him entirely. He was tired, oh, so tired. His kingdom was destroyed, his loving Root long gone and the echoes of his deeds haunts his every breath. The once great Pale King stands on his dwindling circle of light and thinks he makes a truly pathetic figure. 

“Yes, dear Wyrm, you truly do look quite pitiful.” 

A crowned head veers around, wings flaring as black eyes fall upon The Nightmare King. Said King merely smirks as he steps from behind a curtain carved into the very void. With Grimm’s step, the ring of light he stands upon alights with a crimson glow, expanding and pushing back the darkness. The Wyrm looks down in surprise, the crimson glow comes with a warmth that seeps into his very bones. 

He misses the warmth of light. 

The Nightmare hums, drawing the Wyrm’s attention. “My dear Wyrm, with how dim your light had shrunk, I feared your mind gone! How happy I am to see you still responsive!” 

A slight frown pulls across his features, he turns away, resolutely staring back into the darkness. 

A ash-choked laugh sounds in front of him. “Come now dear Wyrm, you know as well as I that ignoring my presence yields nothing.” 

Annoyance flares in his gut, followed swiftly by something bitter. 

He glances the Nightmare’s way and growls. “Leave me, Grimm. Leave me to my peace.” 

The Nightmare quirks a brow, “This place does not seem to exude peace to me.” 

Pale King merely continues to stare anywhere, but at the bug before him. His fists clench, ignoring the dig of his claws. Anger thrashes something ugly in his throat, burning away the apathy that had cloaked him before. He finds himself yearning for it again, the numb was preferable to the prodding of Grimm’s gaze, and the emotions it stirs. The silence stretches for seemingly an eternity. Pale King elects to let it lie, hoping that his silence will send Grimm away. 

He has no such luck. 

Grimm sighs, shifting and seemingly coming to a decision. He begins to walk across the ring and Pale King stiffens. His wings flare and what little magic still burns within him stirs, preparing to ignite. He turns to face the Nightmare, a warning crawling up his throat. 

Only to be stilled when the King stops a few paces away. 

Grimm stares at him for a brief moment, a condescending smirk on his face, only for it to drop and an air of business to settle over them both. Wyrm immediately perks, his senses alert to the change. 

“I will get straight to the point, blast those pleasantries you used to tivvy with during your reign. Give me your Name.” 

The Pale King only tilts his head, the magic at his fingertips stilling in confusion. “My name? You already know it Grimm, it is the Pale King.” 

Grimm only ‘tsks’ in annoyance, his face scrunching shrewdly. “Wrong, twice over dear Wyrm. You evade my question. I do not want your hollow title, I want your Name. I thought myself quite clear in the distinction.” 

The Pale King stares at Grimm incredulously. He shakes his head, a mix of anger, confusion and fear rioting around in his mind. “I cannot just give you my Name, it is the only precious thing left.” 

Grimm only laughs, ringing and sudden in the void around them. His shoulders shake as he wheezes. The Pale King can only look at him with rising anger. After a few moments, the laughing stops and Grimm straightens. “And what good has holding on done for you except prolong your agony? Now it is nothing more than a tether to the realm of living, robbing of the peace you so desperately crave!” 

He gestures vaguely at the King’s form. 

“Give your Name to me, and I promise you a life anew, free of pain and free of burden.” For a brief moment, the Pale King plays with the idea, a vague impression of what the troupe could offer, only to be drawn away as the truth settles in. 

“I know what happens to those who join your Troupe. You offer no gift, it is a curse heavy to bear.” 

Grimm looks at him in annoyance, before he shakes his head and levels the Pale King with a dry stare. “Then I will speak plainly to you. The Heart does not feast upon the ruins of dying kingdoms alone, it takes the grief, pain and anger from the soil. It strips the soil of poisons, of the sick and the dying, to allow young to spring forth. The Heart is the shepherd of dying kingdoms, moves them on to rest so that new kingdoms make take those pastures.” 

Grimm inches forward, urging. 

“Hallownest is nothing more than a stag with a shattered leg, limping along stubbornly with you beside it. You are dwindling along this path, ignoring the call of death even though you say you crave it. You refuse to lay ghosts to rest.” Grimm finally breaches that last pace, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, causing a shiver to travel down his spine. “With your name in my grasp, I will lead you to peace. Hallownest will be free to rise or fall as she pleases. Your memories will be laid to rest in a haze and you will bear a new title under my guidance. Your sins will be burned away. Your past will be shaded, but I will not withhold it from you. If you request it, it will be returned to you.” 

A hand lands on his other shoulder, another shiver travels through him. 

“You will be no prisoner, if you wish to go, I will let you. The cost is you will chew through the earth with your teeth, and carve caverns with no limbs until you wish to lay claim to land once again. Your past life will lay in fragments, but it will never be whole again.” 

The hands upon his shoulder draw him in, charred hands wrapping him within shrouds of a crimson cloak. “I offer you mercy, Pale King. It is your choice to make, will you accept, will you give your name to me?” 

The Pale King stares forward, an ache of an ages worth of grief caught in his throat, exhaustion herculean in size dragging his heart down. He stares into the void, the darkness a siren song that almost draws him away. The warmth at his back sings with a peace he has never known. He sighs, letting his eyes droop and his shoulders sag. 

“I am tired, Grimm.” 

The hands wrap around him tightly, supporting and strangely kind. “Then I will guide you to rest and watch over you until you wake.” 

The Pale King turns, gazing into crimson depths with grief. “Promise me, Grimm. This is all I have left to give.” 

Grimm only smiles, something sinister and kind all in one face. “I promise.” 

He sighs, “Then it is done.” 

The Pale King’s name falls as gentle as a lover and with it, a crimson flame comes to steer him away.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Chipper-smol on tumblr and they're palejesterAU
> 
> This story gouged out my heart so I am DONE.


End file.
